Zero Tolerance for Corruption

The number 1 topic of discussion these days is corruption. Will putting people in jail solve the problem? Is it even the right thing to do? NO.

There is no person in India who has been untouched by corruption be it either paying a bribe or receiving a bribe. So, the result is that we can apply the law only selectively- If you are unlucky, you get caught, most do not.

If the law was to catch everyone then all of us would be in jail. Is this fair then that an unlucky few be in jail while the rest of us face no penalty? Did not Christ say that the first person to hit a sinner with a stone be the one who has not sinned- No one did.

Let us not look at developing countries like ours; Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan or African or Latin American countries- No one has found an answer as to ending corruption.

Let us instead go to a developed nation which has been consistently rated- The topmost corruption free place in the world. How did it achieve this status?

Firstly, it gave its people economic freedom- by this it is meant that it made it easy to do business. There were no unnecessary regulations, no restrictions on trade, no licensing requirements and no taxes on imports and exports. Foreign investments are welcomed and government puts no hindrances if you want to bring in money or take out money.

If you do this then you reduce the interaction between businessmen and government and chances of corruption are accordingly reduced.

This country then took another step. Government may not interfere with business people but still same interaction is inevitable.

Government still has to provide law and order, issue passports, take care of roads and issue some limited approvals.

Here the government decided that it will shed its hypocrisy and pay its ministers, bureaucrats and others a salary which is commensurate with the private sector. Its PM is the highest paid government employee in the world making over a million dollars per annum- higher than the U.S. President or any European PM.

After doing this, this country followed a policy of zero tolerance for corruption and has achieved it.

The country I talk of is Singapore. Could our country and our neighbours- Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Bangladesh do the same and make this a corruption free region?